“What happened?Exactly?”
“Nothing. Literally nothing. After the attacks last month I was afraid, but it turns out it’s just a plastic fucking skeleton?—”
“Hey. You’re okay,” I tell him, moving closer and putting my arm around his shoulders.
It’s a good way to get physical with Oliver in front of Weston and Roman, hopefully laying the groundwork for a believable dating story.
But it was also pure instinct to put my arm around him.
He seems so ashamed, even though he has no reason to be. His skin is also freezing, and he’s only wearing a short-sleeve grey T-shirt out in the snow.
“Someone put a plastic skeleton on the front doorstep,” Roman explains. “It’s a leftover Halloween decoration, nothing more.”
“It did have a note on it, though,” Weston tells me. “A note that I think might be directed at you, Niko.”
“Let me see it.”
Weston hands me a small piece of lined paper.
And as I read it, I know instantly that it’s aimed at me.
Think of my face next time he fucks you. Congrats on joining Crimson.
It’s easily recognizable as Callum’s cursive handwriting.
He put a fucking skeleton on the porch.
Like a fucking prank you’d expect to see from a fourteen-year-old.
I set my jaw. “This is from my ex. I’m sorry you had to see this.”
“No biggie,” Weston says. “That’s nothing compared to the earlier attacks. We weregladit was only that.”
Weston is trying to reassure me that it isn’t a big deal.
But he’s fucking wrong.
He doesn't even realize how wrong he is.
I pull Oliver a little closer in my arm, draping him in my warmth like I’ve suddenly been tasked with protecting a helpless duckling.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?
I’ve never gotten along with Ollie, but I’ll fucking die before I let Callum do anything to scare him.
Oliver is strong and could protect himself.
Maybe.
Probably.
But my instincts flare up into overdrive as I crush the paper note in my fist.
I silently assess the situation in my mind. Bayville is my hometown and the place where Callum owns a mini-mansion, and it’s over 90 minutes away from the Crimson College campus. That means that Callum made the effort to drive all the way here just to leave me this stupid note.
To send a message.
“Someone a little jealous, Niko?” Roman asks.
